The California of today is heralded by many as a shining star of our times. It is also true that California is facing profound challenges.

Even as we see both sides of the coin about the state of affairs here, one notion binds us together. It is the belief that we all have a place here. We all count. We all deserve to be counted.

This belief matters because on April 1, 2020, the Census will attempt to count every single person in the country. Unfortunately, we know from both history and how the present Census operations are unfolding that not everyone will be counted. An undercount bodes poorly for California.

History has shown us that philanthropy in California can make a difference in addressing these challenges. In 2010, the collective investment from philanthropy of nearly $10 million dollars far exceeded the state of California’s $3 million dollar allocation. Philanthropy’s investment was specifically aimed at increasing the participation of hard-to-count communities.

It worked. While the state overall experienced a lower participation rate between 2010 and 2000, there was a much smaller decline in the hard-to-count communities according to published reports.

Read the full article about the US Census by Northern California Grantmakers.